I'm an alumni from Tufts University, I majored in cognitive and brain sciences. My project is titled 'The Neuroscience of Intellectual Disability', and through multiple molecular biology techniques my lab aims to better understand the effect of β-catenin and Adenomatous Polyposis coli Protein (APC) malfunction on intellectual disabilities. I do most of my work at the Michele Jacob Lab, in the Tufts School of Medicine in downtown Boston. I'm now working at the Martinos Center on Alzheimer’s research.

As Associate Provost of Tufts University, Dr. Dawn Geronimo Terkla oversees the Offices of Institutional Research & Evaluation (OIR&E); The Center for Enhancement of Learning & Teaching (CELT), and the Tufts Laidlaw Scholars Program: serves on the USAID funded EPT2 One Health Workforce Project; provides guidance across the university on issues relating to institutional research, outcomes assessment, and evaluation; provides critical management information to senior administrators; and serves on university-wide committees (Academic Council, Administrative Council, Social Science IRB, Tufts IT Steering Committee, Information Stewardship Sub-committee, Student Information Steering Committee, as well as, co-chairing the University-Wide Committee on Teaching and Faculty Development. Dr. Terkla is the University Accreditation Liaison Officer to the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). In addition, she participates in school-level accreditations, providing support as needed. She has held leadership positions in several organizations serving as President of both the North East Association for Institutional Research and the Association for Institutional Research, as well as the Chair of the US Department of Educational National Postsecondary Executive Committee (NPEC) Council on Postsecondary Education Statistics. In addition, she has served on the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium Board of Directors, the UCLA/ACE Cooperative Institutional Research Program Advisory Committee, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities Commission on Policy Analysis and the National Student Clearinghouse Advisory Committee. Dr. Terkla earned a doctorate in higher education research from Harvard University, a Masters of Public Policy from the University of California Berkeley, and a bachelors degree from Ohio Wesleyan University where she majored in politics and government. In addition, she was awarded a management certificate from the Management Institute for Women in Higher Education.

Hi! My name is Bronwyn, I use she/her pronouns, and I am a senior at Tufts University majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies. Through the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies at Tufts, I have created my own major, uniquely combining Education, Civic Studies, and Sociology; I am also studying Religion as a minor concentration. At Tufts, I am also involved with the Tisch College for Civic Life as a Tisch Scholar, and have worked with a variety of community-based nonprofits in the greater Boston area for the past three years. At Tufts, I also work as a Spanish tutor and teach a weekly kickboxing class. Overall, I am very passionate about issues of education, specifically literacy, accessibility, sustainability, and holistic equity. I am honored to be a Laidlaw Scholar and feel very grateful for the opportunity to pursue such meaningful work! 

I am an aspiring Clinical Psychologist, a second-year Psychology student at Tufts University, and a devotee of the arts. My interests consist of aiding in the destigmatization and reformation of mental health within Black and Brown communities. Another passion of mine is fighting for the prevention of child abuse as I continue to intern with Masskids, the Prevent Child Abuse chapter of Massachusetts. As a Laidlaw Scholar, my research coincides with my interests as I focus on how stereotypes, misrepresentation, and instances of erasure within the media impacts the socio-emotional and mental health of adolescents. The goal of this research is to further understand the problem then understand and navigate solutions. I hope to work with non-profits and other initiatives in the fight for mental health in underrepresented communities and would love to be contacted in support of these efforts.

Hi, I'm Amanda Schreiner and I'm a member of the 2021 Cohort of Laidlaw Scholars at Tufts University. I'm majoring in community health and am also pre-med. In my free time I play on the women's rugby team and participate in a maternal advocacy and research club.

Hi, everyone! My name is Kyla Levin, and I'm a 2021 Cohort Scholar from Tufts University! I major in chemical engineering and computer science, my primary interests being in data sciences, biochemistry, materials science, and cybersecurity. I don't usually have a lot of free time, but when I do, I love curling up with a good book!

I am a rising Junior at Tufts University studying Biology and Computer Science. I tend to get excited about Bioinformatics, computational biology, and data science. This summer my research involves using network propagation methods to determine genes that are associated with Alzheimer's Disease.  In my free time, I like to journal, explore nature, and travel to new places. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or comments about my work, I am always happy to chat about it!

Hi all, my name is Zachary Ferretti! I am a senior at Tufts University, pursuing a major in Political Science as well as a double minor in Economics and Urban Studies. My independent research takes a sorely needed look at the 1,4-dioxane water crisis on Long Island, New York. For my leadership-in-action project, I spent the summer in Mexico City, building strategies for environmental resilience and mobilizing urban communities to address issues of climate change. I am always looking to exchange leadership tips and continue stengthening my relationships across the Laidlaw Network. I love meeting new people, so please don't hesitate to ever reach out!

Hi everyone! I am currently a sophomore attending Tufts University. Most of my academic interests surround psychology and biology, hence the bio-psych major. I hope to one day become a licensed psychiatrist and open my private practice.

Hello! My name is Morgane Dackiw, I am a senior at Tufts University studying Biology from Montreal, Canada. I am super excited and honored to be a part of this Scholars program and this fantastic cohort! The research that I worked on with Laidlaw was on Primate Conservation and more specifically on extinction risk. I currently am doing my Senior Honors Thesis on Chimpanzee Ecology.

As a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, I was raised in a cultural melting pot that sparked my passion for community engagement at the local and global level. At the age of 16, I earned my first full scholarship to study abroad in Berlin, where I began working with refugees from the Middle East and Central Asia. I later graduated high school as a scholarship student at Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong, where my interest in human rights motivated me to work with Filipino and Indonesian domestic workers. Currently, I am a sophomore at Tufts University majoring in International Relations. At Tufts, I am a Tisch Scholar, a research assistant for the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, a board member for the Experimental College, a Tufts tour guide and a member of the International Club. 

I'm currently a senior, studying biochemistry. I'm excited to be working in the Kumar lab investigating chemical solutions to biological problems.  I aspire to perform research that is impactful and meaningful to individuals in their everyday lives. In my spare time, I enjoy dancing and hiking, as well as advocating for climate justice and civic engagement. 

Hey! I am a senior at Tufts University majoring in Biochemistry. I am beyond excited to complete my research project this summer at the Molecular Cardiology Research Institute at Tufts Medical Center, where I will be studying the impact of autophagy regulating miRNAs in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a cardiovascular disease. 

Hi! My name is Andra, and I am a graduate of the Laidlaw Scholars program in the 2021 cohort. I am currently working in clinical psychology research, which I also pursued during my time as a Scholar. For my first summer, I completed my research on a project studying racial discrimination as a traumatic stressor, and my second summer, I traveled to Dublin, Ireland to work with Youth Work Ireland on Dublin Pride arts programming. Happy to connect with current and past scholars :)

I am a double major in Cognitive & Brain Sciences and Computer Science at Tufts University. I have always had a passion for music and a fascination with the brain! I fused these two interests by studying the impact of music on the brain, and I hope to use my research to inspire empirically-backed music therapy programs.

Research and Academic Administration

Andrew Singleton has recently joined the Tufts-Laidlaw Undergraduate Research and Leadership Programme team as a Programme Administrator and is excited to continue to elevate the Laidlaw Programming for current and future scholars. He joined the programme from Venture Café, which connects and educates the entrepreneurial and innovation community in Boston through programs/spaces/events and many other cities around the world. He has a B.S. from MIT in Biology and a background in social-impact enterprises, wind-power, user-computer-interfaces, as well as computer network design. In his spare time, Andrew enjoys travel, hiking, and wildlife photography.